Rochester, N.Y. - For patients of weight loss surgery, the surest path to failure is to rely entirely on the surgery and not on a lifestyle change. One in five weight loss surgery patients never loses a pound. Doctors say that's because they continue to eat poorly without exercising.
Joe LaLonde was determined not to be in that category.
We met Joe one year ago, when he was heading in for weight loss surgery at Highland Hospital. In college, Joe was around 165 pounds. One year ago, at age 56, he had seen his weight top out at 330. The excess pounds were crushing his knees, making exercise nearly impossible.
"I'm trying to get my life back," he told us. "Doctors asked me if I wanted to live, and I said yes. I have to make this work. And who knows; right now I'm a 50-inch waist, and maybe I'll end up with a 29-inch waist, which is the size of my inseam."
When Joe opened the door to greet us one year after surgery, we didn't recognize him at first.
"I can go up and down steps without losing my breath again," he said, smiling.
Joe now weighs 165 pounds, having cut his weight in half and returned to his college size. It's a remarkable success story; Dr. Joe Johnson at Highland Hospital points out that Joe has made progress much more quickly than most. The average weight loss patient can lose 75 percent of their excess weight over two years. Joe needed just one year to lose nearly 100 percent of his excess weight.
"This operation requires you to change your lifestyle," Dr. Johnson explained. "It requires you to use good judgment when it comes to nutrition, and Joe has done all of that. He looks really healthy, and we're extremely proud of him."
For Dr. Johnson, Joe is the perfect example that this surgery can work -- if patients follow their doctors' guidelines. Joe agrees.
"It was a little scary, going through an operation," Joe told us. "It's a major lifestyle change. You either gotta do it or -- why do it?"
Originally posted here:
Weight Loss Surgery: Lessons from One Man's Remarkable Success
